Various types of training devices have been proposed for developing a proper swing of a golf club. Representative examples of such devices can be seen U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,589 issued Jan. 16, 1979 (a device for preventing head lift during swinging); U.S. Pat. No. 3,804,420 issued Apr. 16, 1974 (an elbow swing control device to prevent casing of the elbow during the backswing); U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,640 issued May 5, 1987 (a harness provided with suspending means adapted to impart to the user a feel for correct swing fundamentals); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,570 issued Apr. 20, 1993 (a continuous elastic band which is intended to provide arm straightening assistance during the golf club swing).
In addition, I have proposed various forms of golf training devices which can be seen in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,942 issued on Oct. 29, 1991 and in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,060, issued on Sep. 19, 1995.
The above-mentioned patent which issued in my name is directed to a training device for training a user of a golf club in which the training device is connected between the golf club and the body of the user to act as a constraint on the path of movement of the golf club. The training device is characterized by a flexible triangular guide member having an apex portion defining a golf club end and a base portion defining a body engaging end. The golf club end is connected to the handle of the golf club and the base portion includes upper and lower ends connected at vertically spaced points to the user's torso such that the triangular guide member lies in a vertical plane parallel to the axis of rotation of the user's body in its unobstructed condition.
My patent application which is mentioned above discloses a golf trainee body harness used with a golf club for increasing the consistency of the golf swing. The body harness includes a closed loop of flexible inelastic material adapted to receive the trailing arm of the trainee and wrap around the shoulder and extend along the back of the trainee in the form of a "V". The apex of the "V" is located at a point below the arm pit and below the other shoulder of the trainee, and a strap fabricated from a flexible inelastic material has a first end and a second end, one end of which is held by the leading hand of the trainee together with the handle of the golf club. The other end of the strap is secured to the closed loop at the apex thereof so as the golf club is rotated through a complete swing, the closed loop and the strap provide a total restraint of the swing to develop a consistent swing of the golf club.
Although I have found that the golf training devices disclosed in my above-identified patent and patent application serve to improve the overall golf swing of a trainee, further experimentation and development on my part have proven to me that it is also important to maintain a predetermined triangular relationship between the forearms and the wrists of the trainee in order to develop an effective golf swing.
As is well known, and has been expressed by Tommy Armour in his book entitled "How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time", the game of golf is played using two arms. The leading arm guides the club and keeps the face of the club in the desired position for the hit, and the force of the impact is realized through the coupling of the trailing arm and the club. The trailing arm effectively contributes to the entire club swing by reinforcing and bracing the swinging action of the club and converts it into a more rigid composite lever with both arms working together. In addition, the two arms of the player add both control and sensitivity to the clubhead action through the ball and also provide additional clubhead speed into impact by enabling the player to power his wrist action around the center of the swing. Thus, it is clear that in order to have an effective golf swing, the hands and the arms must work together to realize the utmost leverage, balance, precision and speed that can be applied to the ball through the golf club.